LIVE: All the latest from the Believe in Gloucester awards 2017

The biggest night of the year in Gloucester's calendar, the Believe in Gloucester awards celebrate all that is good about the city.

Hundreds of people are expected to be at the home of Gloucester RFC to shower praise on all those who make Gloucester a truly special place.

The awards aim to create a sense of community in the city by raising awareness of Gloucester’s strengths, promoting the city and building confidence of the city and those people who live here.

It promises to be a great night with people from all walks of life collecting awards. They are all to be celebrated for how they make Gloucester a city to be proud of.

Throughout the night we will be using the hashtag #BelieveInGlos so followers on Twitter can keep up to date with how things are going.

00:14

And that's a wrap!

Well it’s long gone midnight now, and it’s been a great night to celebrate the best of Gloucester.

The drinks are in full flow and I’ve got a pint of Guinness waiting for me.

Have good night.

00:11

Julie Kent's daughter would have been 25

And so the final award of the night has a special meaning for a lot of people.

Julie Kent won the Gloucester Ambassador of the Year (21 and Over), sponsored by Marketing Gloucester and Gloucester City Council.

She is the vice-president and a trustee of the Pied Piper Assocation.

Julie Kent

Julie along with her husband, set up the Emily Kent Charitable Trust – in memory of their daughter – and has since raised thousands for charity, including £16,000 for CLIC by running the London Marathon and £11,000 for Breast Cancer.

Emily would have been 25 this year, the same year that the Pied Piper Association is celebrating its silver jubilee.

“But I’m quite excited about next year,” she said. “We’ve got a great year planned, I’m excited about raising more money.

“I really want the children in Gloucester to have the best treatment they can.

“We had to go to Bristol for Emily. We want Gloucester to provide as much as possible for the children here.”

00:01

Oliver, originally from Tuffley, said he is “overwhelmed” with emotion to have been given the award.

After coming up with the idea of a meet-up himself he then set about raising the cash to have an event for people with cleidocranial dysplasia.

He said: “There were other children that also hadn’t met other people with his condition. It was a brilliant for people like me to meet others.

Hi mum Louise said: “Everything he’s done to get this award is just the icing on the cake. The meet-up was amazing. This is for all those children that came to that meet-up.”

Oliver Burns and his mum Louise after getting a Believe in Gloucester award.

23:19

A full list of the winners

Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Kings School

Pascal Michalysin, the master mason at Gloucester Cathedral

Best Community Event of the Year sponsored by 10 Yetis

Gloucester Quays Beach Event

Best Community Project, sponsored by Dr Foster’s Liquor Company

New Pied Piper Room for Children & Families in Wotton Lawn Hospital

Sports Champion of the Year, sponsored by Hatton Court

Ben Newmanof Hucclecote Harriers running

Tutor/ Mentor of the Year, sponsored by Tayntons Solicitors

Amanda Chong head teacher at Ribston Hall High School in Gloucester

Regeneration Award, sponsored by Heather Resource Management Ltd

Albion House, Southgate Street.

Customer Service Award, sponsored by, King’s Walk Shopping Centre

Gloucester Quays

Retailer of the Year, sponsored by, Eastgate Shopping Centre

Janes Pantry

Best Eating Out Establishment/ Best Bar, sponsored by Peter Hickman Hairdressers

The Fountain Inn

New Business of the Year, sponsored by WSP Solicitors

Avon Speciality Metals Ltd

Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Davies and Partners Solicitors

All Fleet Services

Gloucester Ambassador of the Year (Under 21), sponsored by Gloucester Quays

Oliver Burns

Gloucester Ambassador of the Year (21 and Over), sponsored by Marketing Gloucester and Gloucester City Council

Julie Kent

23:07

And the winner is…

Julie Kent

Julie is a trustee and volunteer for the Pied Piper Appeal.

As well as her work with the charity, Julie along with her husband, set up the Emily Kent Charitable Trust – in memory of their daughter – and has since raised thousands for charity, including £16,000 for CLIC by running the London Marathon and £11,000 for Breast Cancer.

23:07

Gloucester Ambassador of the Year (21 and Over), sponsored by Marketing Gloucester and Gloucester City Council

For our final category this evening judges looked for the ultimate city hero; someone aged 21 and over who has gone the extra mile to promote the city and its communities to make it a better place to live and work.

The two finalists are:

Julie Kent of the Pied Piper Appeal - Gloucestershire’s leading charity for sick and disabled children.

Artist Russell Haines who works to promote the wonderfully diverse communities of the city through his art.

The Mayor of Gloucester Cllr Steve Morgan has the honour of announcing the winner.

23:02

And Oliver Burns, 16, takes the title

Oliver Burns has cleidocranial dysplasia - which means he was born without collar bones and also without much of his skull.

But Oliver, now aged 16, is determined not to let his condition dictate what he can and can’t do and has helped others to overcome the condition.

In the summer he organised a meet-up for 25 people from across the UK who have the rare genetic condition.

22:45

Gloucester Ambassador of the Year (Under 21), sponsored by Gloucester Quays

Our penultimate category is about finding a young person under 21 who is passionate about Gloucester.

It could be someone who has become a voice for a city campaign, organised a street clear up or charity event to raise awareness of a good cause.

The finalists are:

Rugby league player Max Parry who, now 20, started Forest of Dean team the Bulldogs aged just 17 and runs it all on his own;

Disability champion Oliver Burns who has organised a meet-up for people who suffer from the same condition he does;

And rugby union player Will Safe who takes time out to coach Old Pats and grow their grassroots game alongside his own commitments.

And the winner is…

All Fleet Services

Describing itself as a market leading supplier of outsourced services to the fleet and automotive industries, All Fleet Services employs 175 people and prides itself on working closely with other Gloucestershire businesses.

The company works hard with local charities and has raised thousands of pounds for local good causes.

22:42

Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Davies and Partners Solicitors

This award is all about honouring those firms who have made a difference to the city’s economy.

And the award goes to…

Gloucester Quays

Judges said that the leaps forward Gloucester Quays has made this year in customer service and experience have been driven by the Customer Service Manager who has invested in the Customer Service team and focused on every customer touch point.

Every customer interaction is treated as an opportunity to make positive changes, they added.

22:11

Customer Service Award, sponsored by, King’s Walk Shopping Centre

So the first of the awards for the second half is up.

Ensuring clients return time and again is so important for a business and this award is about finding that one firm which really goes the extra mile for customers.

Delroy Ellis thanks the organisers

The founder of Increase the Peace - a charity which helps keep people away from knife crime in Gloucester - is delighted to see his charity chosen.

Delroy Ellis said: “We feel very honoured to be the chosen charity for the Believe in Gloucester awards, this is a first time for us. It’s a good opportunity for people to understand what we do in Gloucester, which is peace.

Delroy Ellis from Increase the Peace speaking at a previous Impact workshop around weapon behaviour and knife crime

“We’re all aware that we have a problem in the city with knives. Increase the Peace we don’t just work with young people we work with anyone with knife crime.

“Hopefully people are having fun tonight. A big thank you to all the sponsors.”

21:59

Comedian Nick Page takes to the stage and talks cheese

Gloucester comedian Nick Page has taken to the stage to give the crowd a few laughs before the second half formally begins.

Telling people across the country that he tells them everything about Gloucestershire he says that this county has the world’s greatest sport.

“Some people like rugby, football or cricket. We have the world’s greatest sporting event: a race between man and cheese, where the cheese always wins!”

21:39

As we come to the end of the interval...

The second half of the awards ceremony is about to start and we’re all feeling stuffed.

I don’t mind saying that the dinner tonight was top-notch but we’re all looking forward to celebrating more about our city.

Don’t forget we are tweeting live too. Use #believeinglos to keep up to date with everything happening tonight.

21:37

The Mayor of Gloucester's thoughts on tonights awards

Mayor of Gloucester City, Steve Morgan, said the Believe in Gloucester awards “are a really good showcase” for the city.

“There’s a real buzz about the place. The people, the bars, the businesses, a lot of people are really feeling very positive about the future. The feedback is very good.

“What was negative years ago is turning very positive, people feel happier coming into the city. I think the future is very positive and this sort of event is a really good showcase for the city.”

20:41

First half round-up

A quick recap of the first half of tonight’s awards

Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Kings School

Pascal Michalysin, the master mason at Gloucester Cathedral

Best Community Event of the Year sponsored by 10 Yetis

Gloucester Quays Beach Event

Best Community Project, sponsored by Dr Foster’s Liquor Company

New Pied Piper Room for Children & Families in Wotton Lawn Hospital

Sports Champion of the Year, sponsored by Hatton Court

Ben Newmanof Hucclecote Harriers running club

Tutor/ Mentor of the Year, sponsored by Tayntons Solicitors

Amanda Chong head teacher at Ribston Hall High School in Gloucester

Regeneration Award, sponsored by Heather Resource Management Ltd

Albion House, Southgate Street.

20:16

Bon appetit!

And with that dinner is served.

Here is the first course, and it looks delicious. And for some winners, much deserved.

20:13

And the winner is…

Albion House, Southgate Street.

The historic Albion House sat vacant and derelict for decades prior to the implementation of its regeneration scheme.

The historic building is now back in use with a well-designed, elegant and complimentary building added.

An area of derelict land to the rear has been transformed into an attractive and desirable mews development.

20:12

Regeneration Award, sponsored by Heather Resource Management Ltd

The last award before dinner is an award that recognises businesses, individuals and groups who have really helped develop the city.

Tim Harris

For those who haven’t been keeping abreast of today’s events, here is a little bit more about Tim. Until this morning he was the first team manager at Gloucester City.

Tim Harris

Judges said: “He has been a stable force for the football club over the last four years. He’s kept the club playing at their current level and encouraged the next generation of players, as well as raising the profile of the club.”

There is consternation among some of tonight’s crowd at this announcement.